100,000 Classic & Not-So-Classic British TV Shows To Be Digitised to Save Them From Being Lost Forever

Some of the biggest TV shows from the 1970s and 80s are set to be digitised as part of a new digitisation project by the British Film Institute (BFI) - so that they can be preserved for future generations.

The Guardian reports that everything from Saturday morning kids show Tiswas to Basil Brush and even Mr & Mrs could be preserved, so that future generations can look back on a time when an anthropomorphic fox helped British kids get through the era of the three-day week.

The digitisations will be selected from the BFI's archive of 750,000 1 inch and 2 inch tapes, which they fear could degrade in the next five or six years. The Graun reports that material selected could include the beginnings of breakfast television, regional ITV programmes and "important one-off dramas". It'll be interesting to see how the BFI handle shows whose 1970s stars have since, umm, rather tarnished their reputations.

When the digitisation is complete, you'll be able to watch any of the programmes at one of eight BFI centres around the country.

Let us know what shows you think should be digitised in the comments. [The Guardian]